PC_Advisor_Issue_264_July_2017

FEATURE
BEST
PHOTOGRAPHY
techniques
Whether you’re using a phone, a camera or a drone, Mark Pickavance’s tips will help you take better photos
U
nlike the film photography era,
it doesn’t cost anything to take
pictures, unless you count the
price of your phone or DSLR. Not having to
worry about how many shots you’re taking
is a major advantage, because it allows for
experimentation. The more of this you do,
the greater understanding you’ll have of
what your device can do, how the controls
work, and how to get the best out of what
technology is to hand.
Most of our tips cost little or nothing,
so you’ve no excuse for not trying them
out. While our advice is primarily aimed at
those with a digital SLR camera, many of the
tips apply equally to any camera, including
those on smartphones. Plus, phone cameras
are getting surprisingly good these days.
1. Aperture priority
The aperture priority is enabled by using
‘A’ or ‘Av’ mode on most DSLR camera
dials. Selecting this mode will empower
the DSLR to decide ISO and shutter speed,
while leaving aperture as the single
feature that’s not camera controlled.
The function of the aperture is to control
the amount of light entering the sensor, and
control depth of field. Doing this allows you
to blur out the background and drive the
focus entirely where the images are sharpest.
A high aperture setting or f/1.4 or f2.0
(which lets in a lot of light) will give a very
narrow depth of field, where a low one
such as f/22 (which is a tiny hole that lets
in much less light) will make a deep one
with much of the scene in focus. The more
expensive lenses offer high aperture settings,
allowing for more overall focus control.
80 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/features July 2017